11:14 PM Sat 14 Feb 2009 GMT
 | | 'Fleet in Schouten Passage'
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No matter what part of the world cruising sailors find themselves in, sailing in company brings some added joys to the journey.
Whether they sail around Scotland, the Indian Ocean or the Caribbean, cruising yacht crews have a way of connecting with each other, whether it be informal or organised commercially.
This week one of the world's most southerly cruising rallies commenced - to circumnavigate Tasmania.
The Van Diemens Land Circumnavigation, the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's(RYCT) biennial cruise around the island state, set sail from Hobart on Wednesday with the fleet of 30 boats making good progress up the east coast in excellent sailing conditions.
The RYCT sets a 45-boat limit on the VDL Circumnavigation and this year 43 boats are taking part, with the boats from Hobart being joined by another four when they reach the mouth of the Tamar River later this month and another nine at Port Phillip Bay in Victoria.
 | 20 Miles up the Gordon-below-Franklin River - |
Conducted every second year or so for the past 18 years by the RYCT, this year's Cruise is being conducted in conjunction with the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.
The Circumnavigation is a cruise-in-company covering 800 nautical miles and will take five weeks to complete, during which the crews will see some of the most breathtaking and rugged coastal scenery in the world, including the notorious entry to Macquarie Harbour, Hells Gates.
Before departing Hobart, the RYCT's Jeremy Firth described parts of the Tasmanian coast as 'wild and woolly and not for the faint-hearted', adding that the west coast would the highlight of the cruise.
 | Davey Gorge by dinghy - |
'The southern end of Macquarie Harbour is the best-kept cruising secret in Tasmania,' he told ABC radio.
'It's a beautiful place but of course it's hard to get to, and after that there's Port Davey, which is even more beautiful.
'When people first get to Port Davey on a boat I've noticed they go quiet, it's just such a wonderful place.'
The fleet has already visited Port Arthur/Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsula and is due to cruise past Maria Island today, reaching Wineglass Bay on Sunday.
During next week, the boats will continue up the east coast, sailing through the southern end of the Furneaux Group into Bass Strait, arriving at Beauty Point on the Tamar River next Thursday, 19 February.
The rally is named for the original name given to Tasmania, Van Diemen's Land, by its discoverer Abel Tasman. He named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt in honour of Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies who had sent Tasman on his voyage of discovery in 1642.
by Peter Campbell/Sail-World
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